A21_CSS_W912HQ21R0005_QA_29MAR2021.docx

1. Whether companies from Outside USA can apply for this? (like, from India or Canada) There is a requirement for U.S. licensed mental health clinicians. Additionally, this is a small business set-aside. Only offers from small business concerns are eligible. Refer to § 121.105(a).

2. Whether we need to come over there for meetings?

Virtual.

3. Can we perform the tasks (related to the RFP) outside USA? (like, from India or Canada) There is a requirement for U.S. licensed mental health clinicians. Typically, those U.S. licensed mental health clinicians must be performing services in the U.S. Additionally, this is a small business set-aside. Only offers from small business concerns are eligible. Refer to § 121.105(a).

4. Can we submit the proposals via email?

Yes. It is the only acceptable method of proposal transmission. All proposals should be sent to Amanda.E.Eaton@usace.army.mil.

5. I am hoping to find out if there is an incumbent contractor currently performing these services, if similar services have been performed in the past, or if this is a new requirement.

The incumbent is Magellan Healthcare, Inc. They are providing support under a contract issued by Washington Headquarters Services.

6. If this is a follow-on requirement, could you please provide the previous contract or task order number?

HQ003420C0081

7. Of the 38 Districts and Centers indicated within the file titled A21_CSS_Attachment 1_USACE Year 1 Population Data, who provides EAP services to these locations currently? What are the current contract lengths/terms of each, as it would seem odd that if they have existing EAP programs that each would be able to have a May 2021 start date?

The population uses a contract by Washington Headquarters Services that expires in May 2021.

8. Please confirm that this is a completely new opportunity and that a program is not already in place that mirrors what is being requested in this Solicitation, and that the Districts and Centers associated to this Solicitation are not currently engaged in a similar contract. If there is a similar contract in place currently, what is the current EAP rate per person annually?

It is a new opportunity.

9. Why are you requesting this RFP at this time?

The Washington Headquarters Services contract expires in May 2021.

10. If there is a similar program currently in place, related to this solicitation, can you provide recent utilization reports or provide utilization statistics?

· Specifically, can you provide total number of initial inquiry/assessment calls to the EAP in the most recent contract year? Unknown, because the program size will change.

· Can you provide the total number of EAP counseling sessions provided in the most recent contract year? Unknown, because the program size will change.

· Can you provide the total number of EAP counseling sessions provided in the prior contract year? Unknown, because the program size will change.

· Can you provide the total number of EAP counseling cases in the most recent contract year? Unknown, because the program size will change.

· Can you provide the average number of EAP counseling sessions provided per case in the most recent contract year? Unknown, because the program size will change.

On historical average the estimation is on/about ~0.10 hour of EAP, per employee, per year.

11. The solicitation says: “The ordering period for the SATOC will be five years from the date of award. There is a $25,000 minimum guarantee. This is a decentralized ordering vehicle open to all USACE Contracting Officers.” – How is this minimum guarantee being determined?

This is the amount provided to comply with FAR 16.504(a)(2).

12. Regarding the SATOC Contract Line Items: Why are CLIN 0002 and 0003 already filled in with a $5,000 rate? How is this $ amount determined?

This amount is $5,000 Not-To-Exceed. The contractor can bill when incurred. The Corps has historically used $1,000 for each CLIN per year.

13. Will invoicing be based upon a flat annual amount, or will invoicing be based upon a per employee per month based upon the total employees covered?

Monthly billing, per task order, per employee.

14. Regarding the USACE Participating Population Data (approximate): What is this based upon, especially as the employee count indicated in file A21_CSS_Attachment 1_USACE Year 1 Population Data, indicates 16,411 employees?

The Corps issued a data call to interested districts. Escalation was applied to each contract year for anticipated additional usage from other districts.

· What assumptions are the future counts based upon? Historical usage.

· Given that pricing is being asked to be based upon the indicated 16,411 employees, what assurance is there that this number will actually be utilizing the contract at the start date? The minimum guarantee is the only assurance for this contract. The Corps will encourage maximum utilization of this contract within the Corps.

16. Regarding 1.9.8.3 - Qualified onsite Staff Counselors – Can clarification/details be provided regarding what onsite Staff Counselors would be doing? How is the contractor to know, in advance for pricing purposes, if an onsite Staff Counselor is to be provided? The inclusion of language related to an onsite Staff Counselor does not seem to correlate to the overall Solicitation intent related to a short-term counseling model, with counseling being provided in-person within a certain milage distance of work/home or virtually; additional clarity is appreciated.

Onsite would be infrequent; potentially once a year to deliver a program or education. Note, this could include education or a group educational opportunity.

17. Regarding 1.9.8.5.2 - The Contractor shall travel when ordered and required per task order. The Not-to- Exceed amount for travel is $5,000. – Is this $5,000 an amount that a potential Contractor should consider within their pricing design? Or is this to be invoiced to each Agency when requested on a fee-for-service basis? It should be invoiced when required per task order.

18. Regarding 2.1.1 - The Contractor shall provide a dedicated Program Manager (PM) - Will the PM only work directly with the USACE Technical POC, or should we anticipate communication with other Points of Contact for the various Districts and Centers. Principally with the USACE Technical POC; however, it is possible to work with an additional district or center.

19. 2.1.2 indicates quarterly reports, while 1.10 indicates monthly reports, please confirm/clarify which is to be followed. Quarterly. PWS has been revised.

20. Regarding 2.1.5 - The Contractor must pre-screen Candidates using the E-verify Program (http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify) website to meet the established employment eligibility requirements. The Vendor must ensure that the Candidate has two valid forms of Government issued identification prior to enrollment to ensure the correct information is entered into the E-verify system. An initial list of verified/eligible Candidates must be provided to the COR no later than 3 business days after the initial contract award.

· This requirement/request is unclear, what Candidates are being referred to here? What is the list of verified/eligible Candidates to be used for?

· We do use E-verify for all new staff hires, but as these are people on staff, we do not understand the connection to 2.1.5 referencing the pre-screening of Candidates, nor would it be customary to provide info to a Customer related to our internal candidates for hire. Can 2.1.5 be removed? E-verify would be for any employees that the vendor is using.

· The bullet points at the end of 2.1.5 do not seem to correlate to the language of 2.1.5, can clarity be provided or removed? Removed from PWS.

21. Regarding 3.1 - credentialed staff will answer the phone immediately – is the use of an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) an acceptable tool that can be utilized in the phone answering process? This allows a person to select the appropriate resource area they wish to connect too, while still allowing for all counseling requests to be answered by a Counselor. Interactive voice response is acceptable.

22. Regarding 3.1 - Initial call must obtain information from employee regarding permission, specifying what information can be disclosed and to whom. – This would not seem necessary in regard to a “self-referral” (person contacting the EAP on their own), and could potentially negatively impact a person’s desire to utilize the EAP; can this be removed or clarified? This will not be removed. Having a clear process of confidentiality and permissions is critical to the success of EAP; self-referral and otherwise.

23. Regarding 3.2 - Employees in international locations who are seeking services will be instructed to call the dedicated toll-free number to reach Contractor’s National Service Center staff and securely refers the employee to an international affiliate or virtual option by a U.S.-based professional. – A national toll free number provided to employees within the U.S. will not work for employees outside of the U.S. (and Canada), can this requirement be changed, perhaps to providing a toll number? Contractor may provide an alternate solution for international employees for the Corps to review, including toll number for international employees. This cost should be reflected in the price proposal. End users should not be billed the toll fee. Skype, Zoom, or any other webchat service would work as well.

· How many international employees are there? ~300-500

· Where are international employees located? Various. The Army Corps operates in 100+ countries worldwide.

· Why are USACE employees in international locations? Various – to conduct Corps business worldwide.

24. Regarding 5.2.2 International Counselor: The program has a world-wide network of counselors. In international locations, the Contractor must provide services consistent with the laws of the host country and in accordance with any agreements with the host country. Additionally, international employees may be referred to U.S. behavioral health EAP services for telephonic or virtual support for life coaching or clinical services.

· Who determines if employees are referred to U.S. behavioral health EAP services for telephonic or virtual support versus in-country support? EAP services should be performed by a U.S. licensed behavioral health professional. Telephonic or HIPPA Zoom is appropriate.

· International EAP pricing is calculated differently than U.S. based EAP counseling. In order to provide an accurate quote, can an international employee count be provided by country? No. It has too much variation month-to-month. Europe, Middle-East, Far East.

25. Regarding 4.0 Web based Services – “If the user elects to register, e.g., to enable the Contractor to alert them to new information on topics of special interest to the user, then the user will be alerted to the availability of the new information when the user next accesses the first page of the website.” Is this feature currently available within the existing program or one of the Districts/Centers current EAP program? If yes, can the name of the contractor be shared that provides this benefit? Magellan

26. Regarding 4.3 – Self-Guided Skill Enhancement Tools - Is this feature currently available within the existing program or one of the Districts/Centers current EAP program? If yes, can the name of the contractor be shared that provides this benefit? Is this included as part of a current per employee per month cost or is it an additional cost? Can a list of Skill Enhancement Tools be provided? Yes. Magellan. Their contract is structured as a total monthly rate for the entire population.

27. Regarding 4.4 – Online Chat - Is this feature currently available within the existing program or one of the Districts/Centers current EAP programs? If yes, can the name of the contractor be shared that provides this benefit? Magellan. Yes

28. Regarding 5.5 – “EAP will be available to USACE retirees for a period up to 3 months.” Assuming invoicing is done on a per employee per month/year basis, are retires included in the employee count during this three-month period? If not, can information be shared regarding expected number of retires annually? This is infrequent; ~10 per year.

29. Regarding 6.1 – “The Contractor shall assist with emergencies in the workplace to include unlimited crisis management briefings, support to the USACE Critical Incident Stress Management Team, and grief counseling (events).”

· Does this refer to consultation that the Vendor would have with the USACE only, or does it also refer to the actual delivery of CISD/CISM support services (in-person and/or virtually)? Refers to support to the CISM team as a referral resource as well as a resource for employees in crises.

· If actual delivery of CISD/CISM:

· How many Critical Incident events were responded to in the most recent contract year? This would only be during a significant CISM event; likely once every few years.

· How many Critical Incident events were responded to in the prior contract year? This would only be during a significant CISM event; likely once every few years.

· How many hours of Critical Incident support were provided in the most recent contract year? This would only be during a significant CISM event; likely once every few years.

· How many hours of Critical Incident support were provided in the prior contract year? This would only be during a significant CISM event; likely once every few years.

· Please provide information for above questions as it relates to locations that will become part of this contract, and if possible, please include information on number of events that would not have been responded to by a USACE Critical Incident Stress Management Team member(s).

· How are USACE Critical Incident Stress Management Team members identified? Does each USACE location have a CISM Team member? 125 employees nationa-wide. Team provides peer support and coaching support. EAP support would be a referral source and potentially on-site or virtual once every few years for a significant event.

· Regarding 6.1.1 – “One event equals one provider per day for up to four (4) hours at one location.” – Does this reflect back to the “unlimited crisis management” wording in 6.1? Unlimited is probably poor wording. Further, does it mean that if an “event” exceeds four (4) hours in a day or goes over multiple days, that the Contractor can invoice that on a fee for service basis? Yes, if over 4 hours, fee-for-service.

30. Regarding 7.8 – Senior Care Management – This is not normally seen in the majority of EAP benefits. Is this service currently available within the existing program or one of the Districts/Centers current EAP program? If yes, can the name of the contractor be shared that provides this benefit?

· Why is this service being asked for in this Solicitation?

· Where should cost associated to Senior Care Management be included, or should these be provided on a fee-for-service basis?

· We can remove 7.8. PWS revised.

31. Regarding 9.2.1 – Agency Referral due to Positive Drug and or Alcohol Test – This section references a Substance Abuse Professional.

· Can a historical accounting be provided regarding the number of SAP referrals per District/Center in the last full year of any existing contract(s)? ~ 20 per year

· What number of SAP referrals should be included in program pricing or should this be provided on a fee for service basis? ~20 per year.

· Does the USACE stipulate that the employee is responsible for any charges associated to a SAP referral? Unknown. I would speculate that it will transition to employees insurance.

32. Regarding 10.1.3 – “Limited print materials will be provided for start of the contract, and for, planned annual events such as health fairs and periodic program orientations. This amount should not exceed:

· One (1) brochure per employee per contract year

· Twenty (20) percent of employee population in commination of brochure and flyers for use at health fairs and orientations per contract year.”

· These two above bullet points would seem to contradict the earlier statement in 10.1.1 – “10.1.1 Standard materials will be emailed to the USACE COR and Technical POC, to keep agency costs down and to align with governmental green efforts.”

· Please clarify which should be followed 10.1.1 or 10.1.3, or a combination of both?

· Twenty (20) percent of employee population in commination of brochure and flyers for use at health fairs and orientations per contract year is reasonable.

33. Regarding 10.3 – Supervisor and Employee Orientations – are these to be provided in-person or via webinar? If so, how many in-person hours are expected annually and how many webinar hours are expected annually?

· 10.3.4 answers in part questions related to the above referenced 10.3 questions, however it makes it challenging to build these into a program cost, if the contractor is not aware of expectations prior to program start. If this remains the preferred method of determining delivery of orientation sessions, will these be able to be invoiced on a fee-for-service basis to each District/Center that requests them?

· 10.3.6 may answer in full the question related to inclusion of hours to program cost or making these fee-for-service. Is it correct to say that an Onsite Field Consultant at their own location refers to a USACE employee?

· Onsite or virtual are acceptable.

34. Regarding 10.4.8 – “Educational Presentations, Seminars, and Health Fairs not done by Onsite Field Consultants at their own location will be on a fee for service”

· Is it correct to say that an Onsite Field Consultant at their own location refers to a USACE employee?

· How are these individuals selected by USACE? Selected by contractor

· Does every location that would be part of this location have a Onsite Field Consultant? Selected by contractor but reasonable to have virtual or on site.

· How would you like us to indicate cost associated to these? Is this what CLIN 0003 Training is meant for? If yes, why is the $5,000 rate already prepopulated? Yes. The Corps has historically used $1,000 in training. The contractor is not expected to propose costs for these CLINs. These will be FFP not to exceed for the contractor to bill against.

35. Regarding 11.1.8 – “Each On-Site Field Consultant (Counselor) shall be assigned under the supervision of a qualified Clinical Supervisor. – Why is this item included here? Overall, the PERFROMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS), does not identify where/why an On-Site Consultant (Counselor) would be needed/located or how staffed. Can further detail be provided, or can this be removed? Remove. PWS revised.

36. Regarding 11.1.10 – Private Practice Restrictions – “Private Practice Restriction: Field Consultants may not accept as private clients any person or family member of a person who contacts the Field Consultants through the EAP.” – This is not completely clear, partly as we are not entirely sure what the actual definition of Field Consultant is. If we assume this is a Counselor, within our network, that we refer an employee (or family member) to, we suggest that there are times that this individual may like to continue seeing this Counselor beyond the covered/available EAP sessions. Can more clarity be provided, or may this item be removed? Remove. PWS revised.

37. Page 43 of the Solicitation contains the following statement: “Along with the required information outlined in 52.212-1(b), Submission of offers, the offeror shall provide the following information:” – While I could be missing it, I do not find any other reference to 52.212-1(b) in this solicitation. Is this a misprint, or should there be additional required information provided to us regarding submission of offers?

This refers to the instructions within the clauses 52.212-1, which is included in the solicitation.

38. In your SATOC Contract Line items, you include $5,000 for Critical Incident Support and $5,000 for Training in Year 1 but not in subsequent contract years. Can you clarify your intentions for the provision of Critical Incident and Training services after the initial year? Travel to a critical incident; this is infrequent (expectation is 1 time every few years) but serves as a contingency. $5,000 is the total amount expected for the 5-year ordering period. The contractor will “draw down” from this amount of the 5-year ordering period.

39. Section 1.9.6/2.15: Can you define who “Candidates” are that need to be pre-screened via E-Verify?

E-verify would be for any employees that the vendor is using.

40. Section 1.9.8.3: Do you require on-site counselors? If so, at how many locations and for how many hours per week? No

41. Section 1.9.8.3/5.12: Qualifications of Counselors: You specify that qualified counselors must be available as part of the National Call Center Service in Section 5.12 but in 1.9.8.3 you require counselors be licensed in the state that the participant is calling from. That would necessitate that our Masters level Care Coordinators and case managers who answer calls as part of our Contact Center each be licensed in every state, which is not possible. Interactive phone voice response is acceptable

42. Section 3.2: How many international employees do you have? Can you provide a breakdown by country? ~300-500, varies

43. Section 5.5: How many retirees do you have that would be eligible for services?

~10 per year.

44. Section 9.2: How many DOT employees do you have? How many SAP cases should be included in the firm-fixed price? ~300 DOT employees

45. Section 10.2.3: How many health fairs do you require annually at how many locations and for what duration? Once a year. 1 hour

46. Section 10.4: How many Employee and Supervisor Orientations do you require? Do you require on-site orientations or via webinar? If on-site orientations are required, how many at how many locations?

Webinar.

47. What utilization do you hope to achieve? The Corps will encourage maximum district and center participation in the SATOC.

48. Are EAP personnel expected to perform services on the military installations or at the contractor facilities they normally will work from? Contractor facilities

49. Are key personnel required to work at a specific federal location or will they be able to perform at their normal setting at the various contractor offices? Contractor facilities

50. How many emergencies/exercises will the EAP provider be reasonably expected to respond onsite to in a given year and at approximately how many locations? Once every few years is a reasonable assumption.

51. The EAP uses an affiliate network of state licensed counselors nationwide to provide broad coverage for these contracts. Will these affiliate counselors be required to undergo the E-verify process and the NCIC-III/TSDB processes/screening? Yes.

52. If you are requiring on-site counselors, how many are required, what amount of FTE and at what locations? No on-site.

53. For International coverage, is it correct to assume that counseling can be performed by US based counselors telephonically or via video chat if bandwidth allows?

Yes.

54. How many live onsite training sessions are required and at what locations per year?

Webinar is acceptable

55. What topics are required and is there a frequency for training tempo?

Monthly topics.

56. Can any of these trainings be performed via webcast or webinar?

Yes